 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
Article CategoriesAFM Magazine
|
Best of the Best ...THE TOP COACHING STAFFS IN FOOTBAL© More from this issue 
What makes an outstanding coaching staff? Experience? Expertise? Knowledge? Communication? Teaching ability? Team building? Is it all of the above, plus the ability to recruit in the college ranks, and the ability to scout in the pro ranks? It depends on how you measure success. Is it national championships, something the Oklahoma, Florida State and Tennessee staffs can all claim over the past three college seasons? Is it Super Bowl victories, something Baltimore and St. Louis own from the past two seasons? Is it consistent success over an extended period of time? That would describe Nebraska, Kansas State, Oregon and Virginia Tech on the college level and Tennessee and Minnesota in the NFL? Is it the ability to do more with less, a description that applies to East Carolina and Stanford? Is it a staff pushing a program to consistently higher levels, like they're doing at Texas and Texas Tech? Is it a staff capable of pulling off a quick turnaround, like the New York Giants achieved last year, or a new staff built with experienced coaches, like the one Pete Carroll has pulled together at USC. No one description makes a coaching staff outstanding in and of itself. For the 13 college staffs and six NFL staffs listed as the best of the best by American Football Monthly, it's often "all of the above," and then some. The top staffs in college (in no particular order):
EAST CAROLINA In a business that spits out coaches all too quickly and impulsively, Steve Logan has survived and thrived for 10 seasons at East Carolina, at a program where success isn't guaranteed by tradition or resources. ECU has to fight ACC and SEC teams for players, and its schedule features regular appearances against ACC, SEC and Big East teams. Logan's tenure at ECU is the school's longest since the 1960s, and that continuity and consistency has allowed ECU to build a strong foundation. It also helps to have a strong staff pulling in the same direction, and that's what Logan has, especially with the play-calling philosophy of offensive coordinator Doug Martin, now in his 10th year at ECU, and the aggressive approach of defensive coordinator Tim Rose, who arrived three years and installed a 3-4 scheme that fits the type of athletes ECU brings in. Steve Logan - HC FLORIDA STATE Even after 25 seasons at Florida State, coach Bobby Bowden doesn't seem to be losing any momentum, or his passion for winning. And no one in college football has more games in the current era than Bowden, who has won 10 or more games in each of the past 14 seasons. Bowden will be the first to admit that a lot of that success can be attributed to a cohesive staff and quality assistants such as DC Mickey Andrews (18 seasons at FSU), associate head coach Jim Gladden (27), RB coach Billy Sexton (25), OL coach Jimmy Heggins (16). Two other coaches, DT coach Odell Haggins and TE coach/recruiting coordinator John Lilly, have been at FSU eight and seven seasons. And even when FSU loses quality coaches to head coaching jobs (N.C. State's Chuck Amato, Georgia's Mark Richt), Bowden replaces them with more outstanding assistants (LB coach Joe Kines, QB coach Darryl Dickey and his son, first-year OC Jeff Bowden). Bobby Bowden - HC KANSAS STATE It's arguable that no college football coach has done a better job over the past decade than Bill Snyder, the architect of college football's most amazing transformation. When he came to K-State in 1989, the program was simply the worst in Division I-A, with just three wins in the previous four seasons. Since a 1-10 transition year in '89, the Wildcats are 98-33-1 with 11 wins in each of the past four seasons, plus two Big 12 North championships. During that time, Snyder has been able to sustain continued success by replacing the loss of quality assistants (such as Bob Stoops, Dana Dimel, Mike Stoops, Brent Venables, Mark Mangino) with more outstanding assistants, including DC Phil Bennett and OC Ron Hudson. Snyder has also added two former players, Michael Smith and Matt Miller, to his staff in the past seven years. Bill Snyder - HC MICHIGAN Lloyd Carr took over at Michigan under less than ideal circumstances, following the offseason dismissal of former head coach Gary Moeller in 1995, but after 15 seasons as a Michigan assistant Carr has spent the past six seasons proving his worth as a head coach at one of the nation's most consistently successful programs, even winning a share of the national championship in 1997. Like Carr, Jim Herrman is a veteran Wolverine assistant. Herrman came to Michigan as a G.A. in 1986 and worked his way up the ladder to DC in 1997. When OC Mike DeBord left two years to take over at CMU, Carr simply promoted QB coach Stan Parrish and the Wolverines didn't lose a step. Seven of the current assistants have been with the program since 1997, and the two most recent hires, OT/TE coach Andy Moeller and DB coach Teryl Austin, were excellent hires. Lloyd Carr - HC NEBRASKA No Division I-A program boasts the continuity of Nebraska's coaching staff. Even with the retirement of veteran DC Charlie McBride following the '99 season, the Cornhuskers still have five coaches who have been with the program for at least 15 years, including head coach Frank Solich, who spent 15 years as a Husker assistant before taking over as the head coach in 1998. DB coach George Darlington is a 29-year Nebraska veteran, followed by OL coach Milt Tenopir (28), OL/K coach Dan Young (19) and WR coach Ron Brown (15). Three other coaches with 10 years or less at Nebraska have Husker pedigrees: QB coach Turner Gill (10), RB coach Dave Gillespie (13 combined years as a G.A., recruiting coordinator, full-time assistant) and DL coach Jeff Jamrog (a former Nebraska DE in his second season on the staff). DC Craig Bohl (7) slid into McBride's old job last year and continued Nebraska's tradition of strong defense. Frank Solich -HC, OC OKLAHOMA This is a staff that has been together only two full seasons, but look what they accomplished in those two seasons. Bob Stoops and his staff inherited a once-proud program that had fallen on hard times, and won a national championship in their second season, going 13-0 and beating FSU in the 2001 Orange Bowl. It's a young, energetic staff, with only one coach over the age of 50 (DE coach/RC Bobby Jack Wright), two other over 40 (Stoops and OC Mark Mangino), and three coaches 30 or younger (Co-DC Brent Venables, WR coach Steve Spurrier Jr. and RB coach Cale Gundy). Co-DC Mike Stoops, Mangino and Venables have been rumored to be next in line for HC opportunities, but with Stoops' record for hiring quality assistants (he also replaced Mike Leach with QB coach Chuck Long when Leach to become the Texas Tech HC in '99), Oklahoma is a good bet to continue its success. Bob Stoops - HC OREGON The national college football media only recently discovered Mike Bellotti and one of the nation's most exciting college football program, but he would be the first to admit he inherited a program moving in the right direction when he moved up from OC to replace Rich Brooks as Oregon's HC in 1995. However, Bellotti has done more than just sustain that direction. He's already the program's third-winningest coach and owns the program's best record over a six-year period (49-22), and he's the only Oregon coach to take the program to four consecutive bowls. He's done this with the help of outstanding coaches such as OC/QB coach Jeff Tedford, DC Nick Aliotti (now in his third stint at Oregon), DL coach Steve Greatwood (19 years as an Oregon player and assistant, sandwiched around two years in the NFL and two at USC), OL coach Nick Zoumboukos (the dean of Pac-10 assistants with 34 years in coaching, 22 with the Ducks). Mike Bellotti - HC STANFORD Every program talks about its tough academic demands, but no Division I-A program means it more than Stanford. Still, that hasn't stopped Stanford HC Tyrone Willingham and his staff from winning at the only private university in the Pac-10. In six seasons on "The Farm," Willingham has led Stanford to three bowl games and the program's first Rose Bowl appearance in 28 years. Stanford's turnaround from 3-8 in '98 to 8-4 in '99 led the Cardinal to a Pac-10 championship. Willingham also became the first Stanford coach to lead the program to two consecutive bowls since Bill Walsh in 1977-78. Veteran coaches such as DC Kent Baer (7 seasons at Stanford), DL coach/RC Dave Tipton (13), DE coach Phil Zacharias (7), OC/QB Bill Diedrick (4) help round a quality staff that has build a solid foundation in Palo Alto. Tyrone Willingham - HC TENNESSEE Phil Fulmer got his first taste of head coaching experience as an interim HC for four games during the 1992 season and the Vols won all four of those games. With veteran coach Johnny Majors on the way out, Tennessee didn't have to look very far to find their new head coach. From 1993 to 2000, Fulmer won one national championship, two SEC Eastern Division titles and 82 percent of his games (making him the nation's winningest coach, by percentage). Fulmer is a former Tennessee lineman and spent 11 years as a Vol assistant before moving into the HC role, and he has followed that path in his hiring. When Fulmer needed a new DC in 1995, he promoted assistant John Chavis, a former Vol lineman. When he needed a new OC in 1999 (to replace current Ole Miss coach David Cutcliffe), he promoted assistant coach Randy Sanders, a former UT quarterback. Phil Fulmer - HC TEXAS Texas has lone been considered one of the most powerful programs in all of college football, but the program seemed to float on a sea of constant discord when legendary coach Darrel Royal retired in 1976. The hiring of HC Mack Brown brought unity back to the program, and brought the best coaching staff to Austin since ... well, the Royal era. Brown also brought veteran assistant Greg Davis from North Carolina to be his OC/QB coach, but reached outside his past experience to hire Carl Reese, one of the nation's most highly regarded DCs. The staff has maintained a high degree of continuity, replacing just one coach in four years (Everett Withers joined the NFL's Tennessee Titans after the 2000 season, so Davis brought in Duane Akina), and the staff's strong recruiting efforts the past three years have many college football observes believing Brown and staff are building a perennial national championship contender. Mack Brown - HC TEXAS TECH When Mike Leach took over as the Red Raiders' HC in late 1999, he knew he wanted to run the offense and call the plays as his own coordinator. That's why Leach turned the defense completely over to veteran DC Greg McMackin, whose background included successful stints with the Miami Hurricanes and the Seattle Seahawks. Then he turned over the day-to-day administrative details and the special teams over to former Emporia State (Kan.) HC Manny Mastakis. The hiring of Sonny Dykes as WR coach also gave the staff a connection to Tech's winning tradition under former coach Spike Dykes, and the hiring of Texas prep coach Art Briles as RB coach gave Tech a connection to the Texas high school ranks. They must be doing something right: Tech went 7-6, earned a bowl bid and set 18 school records in Leach's first season in Lubbock. USC When Pete Carroll came to USC last December, he brought 16 years of NFL coaching experience, including four seasons as a head coach and six as a defensive coordinator. However, Carroll hadn't coached in the college ranks since 1983, so he moved quickly and purposefully to fill his staff with experienced college assistants, starting with veteran OC Norm Chow, the architect of outstanding offenses at BYU and North Carolina State. RB coach Wayne Moses brought 23 years of college coaching experience (the past 11 in the Pac-10), OL coach Keith Uperesa brought 16 years and LB coach Nick Holt brought 13 more. Carroll, who will run his own defense, also retained RC/DL coach Ed Orgeron and ST coordinator Kennedy Pola (a former USC player) from the previous USC coaching staff, and brought in two coaches with NFL experience, DB coach DeWayne Walker and WR coach Kirby Wilson. It's still early to know for certain, but on paper, Carroll has pulled together an outstanding mix of coaches. Pete Carroll - HC VIRGINIA TECH The rest of the nation didn't know until the Hokies made a run at the national championship in 1999, but Frank Beamer and his staff have been running a successful program for more than a decade at a program that lacked tradition and resources when Beamer took over in 1987. It wasn't easy building the program into a consistent winner, and Tech followers almost lost patience after a 2-8-1 record in 1992, but since then the Hokies have gone 75-21 with three Big East titles. Except for a one-year stay at South Carolina, veteran assistant Ricky Bustle has been with Beamer since 1987, the past seven as Tech's OC. Bud Foster, Tech's DC since 1995, has established one of the nation's most consistently successful defenses, and Tech has become a regular offseason stop for coaching staffs looking for help with their defense and special teams. Frank Beamer - HC From the league... The top staffs in the NFL (in no particular order):
BALTIMORE Is there any better validation of an NFL coaching staff than a Super Bowl victory, especially when the Ravens won a championship in Billick's second year in Baltimore. The bad news for DC Marvin Lewis is that Lewis isn't a head coach - yet - but the good news for the Ravens is that they get Lewis for at least one more season. Billick originally hired Mike Nolan, the Jets' DC, with the idea that Nolan would coach LBs and Jack Del Rio would take over as DC, replacing Lewis. When Lewis didn't become a head coach, Billick came up with the idea of moving Nolan to offense and coaching WRs, where he would use his 12 seasons of defensive experience to help the Ravens do a better job of attacking defenses. Nolan replaced Milt Jackson, who will become a general offensive assistant and retire following the current season. Nolan is Baltimore's only new hire in two seasons under Billick. Considering the constant coaching staff changes in the NFL, that almost passes for continuity. Brian Billick - HC MINNESOTA Dennis Green brings plenty of continuity all by himself, simply because this is his 10th season as the Vikings' head coach. He is tied with Pittsburgh's Bill Cower for the longest tenure of any current NFL head coach and the Vikings have advanced to the playoffs in eight of his nine seasons. Green hasn't been afraid to make changes to improve his staff. He did lose OC Brian Billick to the Ravens' HC job two years ago, and brought in veteran OC Sherman Lewis to help with the offense. Emmitt Thomas is a veteran NFL DC, in his second year with the Vikings, and his 34th overall as an NFL player or coach. Green brought in Willie Shaw in the offseason to take over as assistant head coach and secondary coach, moving Richard Solomon from DBs to LBs in the process. This is Shaw's second stint in Minnesota, having coached with the Vikings in 1992 and '93. Dennis Green - HC KANSAS CITY The Chiefs' coaching staff and player roster have undergone continuous change since the organization made several failed runs at the Super Bowl in the early and mid-90s under former coach Marty Schottenheimer. Kansas City brought Vermeil out of retirement to re-build the foundation and provide some direction (as he did in St. Louis), and if early indications mean anything, that's exactly what Vermeil is doing with this coaching staff. DC Greg Robinson has extensive experience in the AFC West as a former Broncos' defensive coordinator, and OC Al Saunders is familiar with the organization, having coached with the Chiefs from 1989 to 1998. Vermeil also retained some of former coach Gunther Cunningham's assistants, including OL coach Mike Solari, DL coach Bob Karmelowicz and TE coach Keith Rowen. Frank Gansz Jr. is the son of former KC head coach Frank Gansz, and if pedigree has anything to do with it, the Chiefs should be solid in the kicking game. Dick Vermeil - HC NEW YORK GIANTS Go back and look at last year's preseason NFL magazines, and no one picked the New York Giants to reach the Super Bowl. Obviously, HC Jim Fassel and his staff did something right by winning the NFC championship. That's why the Giants thought they'd be forced to make changes after the season, simply because other teams would want to promote Fassel's assistants, particularly DC John Fox, who was mentioned as a candidate for the head coaching vacancies in Cleveland and Buffalo. Unfortunately for Fox, he didn't move up the ladder. Fortunately for the Giants, Fassel has a new four-year contract and both of his coordinators, Fox and OC Sean Payton, for at least one more season. Fassel did have to replace one position when RB coach Mike Gillhamer left to join Mike Bellotti's staff at the University of Oregon, but Fassel simply hired from within, promoting Eric Studesville, the Giants' offensive quality control coach since 1997. Jim Fassel - HC ST. LOUIS When the St. Louis Rams won the Super Bowl two years ago, Mike Martz received his share of the credit as the OC of an explosive offense. He also received a chance to be an NFL HC when Dick Vermeil retired following the Super Bowl win. Now, with four offseason staff changes, Martz is building the staff with coaches who fit his energetic, high-octane style. His most significant hire brought Lovie Smith from Tampa Bay to coordinate the defense and run a cover-two defensive scheme similar to what the Bucs run. Smith really doesn't have the personnel to attack and take chances, so Martz is hoping this "bend-but-don't-break" defense will prevent big plays and force opponents to attempt patient, extended drives just to get into scoring position. Martz also brought in Ron Meeks to coach the secondary, Bill Kollar to coach the defensive line and Bobby April to work with the special teams. Mike Martz - HC TENNESSEE One of the problems with hiring good assistant coaches is that somebody else will eventually take notice and try to hire your best assistants as coordinators or head coaches. That's what happened with the Titans, when HC Jeff Fisher lost DC Gregg Williams to the Buffalo Bills' HC job. Despite the loss of Williams, Fisher found an immediate solution in LB coach Jim Schwartz, who has been preparing for the DC job since he joined the Titans in 1999 as a defensive quality control coach. Schwartz can also look to Gunter Cunningham, the former Kansas City Chiefs DC and HC, for experience and knowledge. Though Schwartz is only 35-year-old, he publicly welcomed the addition of Cunningham. The only other addition was the hiring of DB coach Everett Withers from the University of Texas. The moves bring additional continuity to an organization that has established a strong foundation under Fisher, who held the team together when the franchise moved from Houston to Nashville. Jeff Fisher - HC |
Digital Download - 304 Pages of Football Forms for the Winning Coach
|
| HOME |
MAGAZINE |
SUBSCRIBE | ONLINE COLUMNISTS | COACHING VIDEOS |
Copyright 2024, AmericanFootballMonthly.com
All Rights Reserved